Gardening in Waitaki September 1st 2021

Wow heavy frost again this week, thank goodness for frost cloth protecting  all the  seedlings I am nursing. With this strangeness now at level 3 I am itching to get potting and seed raising mix to carry on sowing seed and potting up. I make potting mix go further by adding sifted soil afterall soil is the true growing medium and with Garden centers loaded up with so many different mix options soil now being overlooked. Those who have a soil sieve can fill a wheelbarrow with fine sifted soil in no time. Seed raising mix can be used sparingly by filling a container with sifted soil then a layer of seed raising mix on the top. A teaspoon of productive soil contains more living organisms than there are people in the World.  Winter sown spring seeds are up now so I am thinning and potting Pansy and dianthus which have shallow roots into deeper seed trays and those with longer deeper roots like lupin, hellebore and Oriental poppy into their own individual small root pot as it is best to have a well developed root ball attached before planting out into the garden.  Baskets and pots can be thought about now, use only shallow rooted plants for baskets like pansy, primulas, and trailers like Virginia stock and dwarf sweet pea until it is warm enough to plant petunias, lobelia and begonia. Pots and baskets benefit from the addition of extra slow release fertiliser and water Chrystal's to keep them going,. Roots of what you want to plant will determine the size and depth of a pot or basket. Potted roses need a deep solid pot to help with  the heat of summer cooking roots,  potted, camellias, azaleas, hydrangeas and small trees and shrubs also suffer from cooked roots in summer. By placing a shorter plastic pot inside a terra cotta or concrete pot will help keep roots cooler, interior plastic pots should have wide drainage holes and sit on a layer of gravel inside the bigger pot  leaving a three  inch gap at the top to spread mulch which can be a thick layer of gravel, stones, bark or even sheep wool.  All potted plants do best in a good heavy potting mix, excellent drainage plus a consistent supply of food and water. If a potted plant is left too dry for too long between  watering it will never thrive or look lush and healthy. Hydrangeas can now all been pruned, fuchsias can be pruned once they start showing new growth, they flower on new growth that's why growers cut them right back to encourage new fresh growth, so cut back all that straggly old wood. Dahlias, I am keeping a cover of pea straw on top of mine because I feel nothing will be happening with them until well into next month. Rose growth is well on now and we don't have to chase aphids ( green fly) yet but they will be about soon to settle on the top new growth, easily visible for you to dispose of by removing with finger and thumb. Leave spraying (if needed) until leaves are well grown and have hardened up a little. Weeds are taking off as well during mild days, get them while small before they flower and make seed with a hoe on paths and driveways and pulling by hand while soil is soft. There are organic weed sprays on the market that work best when weeds are small so now is the time, get them before they flower and make seed.     Lawns: Prepare ground for sowing new lawns here on the coast when the chill has left the ground, spring sowing should be thickly spread  thickly to beat annual weeds.  Once spring mowing starts again on existing lawns, keep the mower blades up to allow grass to thicken as it comes back from dormancy and feed lawns just before or during rain and they will stay lush.  Vegetables: Green crops can be dug in now, before they flower and get stringy. Here on the coast sow lettuce seed and plant lettuce plants and other leaf veg on offer now at two week intervals but protect from frost and birds while small.  Carrots and peas can go in but ground is still too cold for parsnip, beans, corn, and the pumpkin family,  they all need warm soil to germinate. Broad beans sown in March  should be in flower looking for bees. Prepare ground for planting seed potatoes, if soil is too wet, fork over adding compost to get air in to aid drying. Potatoes can rot if the soil is cold and wet.  Fruit:Buds are swelling to blossom burst as sap rises, what's needed now are sunny days and bee's. Work on gooseberry bushes now before leaves arrive, thin out middle branches and cut bottom skirt branches up to raise height making it so much easier to pick the fruit from underneath. Strawberries are starting to move towards budding so will be looking for food, they need mulched with compost, old animal manure, then straw or pine needles as a cover will do the trick.